Love Under the Blossoms
by cuddlykids
Summary: This is the story of how Hisana and Byakuya meet, and the beginning of their relationship. Hisana x Byakuya. Warning - there may be spoilers. May be a little ooc. Chapter 11 is up
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was night and the manor seemed deathly quiet. A dark-haired shinigami got out of bed, not being able to sleep. His grandfather had been pestering him yet again, to find a wife. He had even gone so far as to push noble ladies onto him – once, he literally pushed one. Of course, Byakuya had no intention to marry anyone that he hadn't met before. There probably wasn't such a thing as true love and not obeying would be dishonouring his clan name but nonetheless, he refused.

Sometimes Byakuya found his manor cold and lonely. He had a good relationship with his grandfather but recently, they had been arguing over his marriage. Well, not really _arguing_. He never argued nowadays, just merely informed him that he was not ready for a wife and would appreciate it if he could choose his own woman to marry.

"Byakuya-sama! Where are you going?" one of the servants asked, rushing up as Byakuya approached.

"I am going for a walk," Byakuya answered. Seeing as he couldn't get to sleep, might as well take a walk in the garden and admire the cherry blossoms.

"Do you need someone to accompany you, Byakuya-sama?" the servant offered.

"I know my way around my own garden," Byakuya said, walking out. Normally, taking a pleasant night walk in the garden was something he enjoyed doing but recently, even that had gotten displeasing.

_I shall find a different place to walk in_, he thought and made his way over to Rukongai. He had hardly ever been there and maybe a new hiking destination would be better.

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She was being followed. Whenever Hisana looked behind her, there was seemingly no one there but she knew that someone was behind. Every time she stopped, there would be a soft footstep and then total silence. For whatever reason, someone was stalking her. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever heard in her life and she didn't know how to lose him.

_Maybe if I go home, the mysterious stalker may go away_, she thought and walked slowly towards her rundown shack of a home, listening carefully.

Her home was just a small wooden cottage – well, it couldn't exactly be called that. There was only one room and it looked as though the roof could cave in any moment. Well, at least it would make her warmer in the sleepless cold nights.

Hisana had chosen that place because it was near the cherry blossoms she loved so much and the clear blue sea. Strangely enough, no one ever stole from her home – probably because there was nothing in it; except for a thin rag she called a blanket and little wooden bowl she used to collect water with.

As she walked under the cherry blossoms, she heard the stalker's pace quicken and turned around in alarm. The man was tall and looked more beggar-like than she did. At least Hisana tended to her hair every once in a while, whereas this man's was a mess. Whatever he wanted with her, it wouldn't be good. She had enough experience to know that men from Rukongai couldn't be trusted.

Her thoughts were correct. Without so much as a hello, he pressed her down and started fiddling with the clothes she wore. Either he was mugging her or wanted to… none of them seemed very appealing to her. Hisana screamed as loudly as she could, although she knew that no one would come. The man quickly stuffed something foul into her mouth and watched with amusement as she struggled. His hands were touching all the wrong places and it wasn't very nice.

Someone was screaming, a girl was screaming. Byakuya just happened to be admiring some cherry blossoms, when he heard someone screaming. Soon the sound was muffled and gone but he did not doubt his hearing. Someone needed his help and he had to get there fast. There was always conflict in Rukongai but for some reason, he just _had _to go and save that girl.

As he walked deeper under the trees, a girl and a man came into view. At first sight, they were making love but Byakuya could see how the girl was struggling, how she was pinned down and gagged. He drew Senbonsakuraand walked over, hoping to be as quiet as possible but the man's hearing was really good. He looked up suspiciously.

"What are you doing? Why interrupt two people making love?" he asked in a slurred voice. Either he was drunk or just talked like an idiot.

"Get off her," Byakuya ordered.

"Why? Do you break up every couple that's having fun?" the man demanded angrily.

"Which part of this lady's expression tells you that she's having fun?" Byakuya asked in return.

The man stood up and revealed a small dagger. He lunged at Byakuya, who easily blocked his move and they started fighting. The man had a messed-up fighting style that could get him around the streets of Rukongai but towards a vice captain, it did nothing. However, that man didn't seem as stupid as he looked.

Sensing that his opponent definitely had the upper hand, he took out a small bottle and uncorked it. He threw the contents – some type of powder – at Hisana but being an expert at shunpo, Byakuya instantly went in front of her.

"Ha! You got full blast of my poison! Surrender now, you horrible shinigami!" the man shouted, laughing hysterically.

Byakuya's arms felt like lead and his head hurt. He could barely see the man jumping in front of him and with one last effort, he swung Senbonsakura. The man could barely move in time and had his neck slit, meaning an instant death. There wasn't any time for celebration though, as Byakuya had fainted.

It was horrible to look at. Hisana saw the stalker die and then her saviour also die – no, he had fainted and was dying. She quietly picked up his sword and put the man's arm around her shoulder. He was heavier than expected and it was quite a while before she finally made it to her home.

The man was a shinigami she knew, as he was wearing the shinigami robes. He had long black hair and, she noticed with embarrassment, he was extremely handsome. Well, he probably would be even more handsome, if he wasn't so pale. The poison was getting to him and Hisana didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she couldn't let him die. He had saved her twice – first from the stalker, then from the poison.

"Please don't die on me," she whispered and ran out to pick some herbs. There was a medicine shop somewhere but she didn't go there for various reasons. Firstly, it wasn't open at night. Secondly, she had no money. Thirdly, the shopkeeper would probably beat her up if he found out that she was helping a shinigami.

Hisana was no doctor and she didn't know which herbs she needed. She spotted a man sitting there and hurried over, wondering if he was anything like the stalker. He saw her approaching and looked at her, confused.

"What are you doing here so late, little girl?" he asked, chewing on a piece of grass. She bowed.

"Sorry, but a… friend of mine has been poisoned and I need to find an antidote. Do you know which herbs will help him?" she said.

"What's the poison like?" he asked, spitting out the grass.

"It was some type of powder. Someone threw it at him and he fainted almost immediately." Hisana explained.

"Ah, must be the type people use for quick escapes. Here, this should do the trick. Boil this in water and have that friend of yours drink it." The man said, throwing a bunch of strange-looking leaves at her. "Use all of that in one shot and it may taste a little foul, so make sure he drinks it. Be warned, as soon as he wakes up he'll puke."

"Thank you very much," Hisana said, taking the leaves back with her. It could be a trick but what would be the point of poisoning an already poisoned man?

She collected some firewood and began to start up a small fire. She picked up a hat lying on the ground and washed it. Hisana then put the water and leaves in it, putting it over the fire. After it boiled, she quickly put out the fire and hurried over to the man. He looked worse than he did before, as life drained away from him. Hisana carefully opened his mouth and blew on the medicine, before slowly pouring it into his mouth. Surprisingly he drank it and as soon as the hat was empty, she discarded the leaves.

_It wouldn't work immediately, so I'll just wait here_, she thought.

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As he began to awaken, the first thing he thought was that there was something stuck in his mouth. Then Byakuya realised that he really needed to vomit. Someone handed him a hat and without thinking, he vomited into it. Then he realised that he was in someone else's house and they probably didn't want vomit in their hat.

"I will clean it," he said and recognised the person to be the girl he saw earlier. He went outside to wash it out and she followed.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked him, as he gave her the hat back. Byakuya thought about it. He felt terrible and sick, _and _his head hurt. He shook his head. Immediately, the girl touched his forehead and her eyes widened. Not seeing why she was so concerned, he touched his forehead and realised that it was burning. He must have somehow got a fever.

"I am fine," he lied, though once he said it, he felt like sleeping.

"No, you are ill." The girl answered definitely. Byakuya's legs gave way and she helped him back to the shack.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Hisana. What is yours?"

"Byakuya, Ku – " with that, he fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He had fainted, again. Hisana knew how to cure fevers at least but his case seemed near impossible. The poison had gone but left behind a fever. In less than an hour, she had been stalked, saved and now was saving the life of her saviour. She had prepared the medicine and he had swallowed it all, yet he still hadn't woken up yet. His name was Byakuya – she didn't know his surname because he had fainted before he had finished the sentence. She touched his forehead again.

_It's cooler, much cooler than before_, she thought and touched his hand. _Too cool, his hand is freezing cold!_

Hisana covered him with her blanket and made a fire near him but Byakuya still stayed so cold. She put him into sitting position and wrapped the blanket around him. Blushing furiously, she wrapped her arms around him and ignored the cold that transferred over to her. Hopefully, her heat transferred over to him.

_I'm so sleepy, I haven't closed my eyes this whole night_, Hisana thought and laid him back down. She got under the blanket with him and closed her eyes. Despite the fact that she was so tired, she couldn't sleep. She was in bed with a man – a _man_.

So she laid there for hours on end, until the sun rose and Byakuya began to stir. Quickly, Hisana shot out from under the blanket and started putting out the fire. He sat up and looked at her.

"Good morning!" she greeted, trying to sound cheery and innocent – she _was _innocent but she didn't feel like she was. She couldn't look at him without thinking about how cute he looked.

"Good morning," Byakuya said, getting out of bed and looking around. "What happened yesterday?"

"Well, you got poisoned so I fed you the antidote. Then you somehow had a very high fever and I fed you medicine. You were cold, so I covered you in my blanket and lit a fire." Hisana replied.

He stood up and looked at his saviour. She had bags under her eyes, looking as if she hadn't slept the whole night. Byakuya picked up the piece of cloth she called a blanket and gave it to her.

"You look like you haven't slept for the whole night," he said.

"Uh… no…" Hisana admitted. "But I'm fine. Do you feel alright?"

"Yes," Byakuya lied. He wasn't alright. All his reiatsu had gone and he knew that he'll never get back home like this – he'll be bashed up before he even went halfway.

"Are you sure? You look… tired," Hisana observed, genuinely concerned.

"Thank you for saving me," Byakuya said – normally he wouldn't admit to have been saved but for some reason, it felt as if he had to thank her.

"No, not at all. You saved me – twice." Hisana said quickly. "Are you going back home now?"

"Yes," he said and tried to shunpo out but he didn't even move a centimetre. Looked like all his reiatsu had really gone.

"If you want, you could stay until you've recovered all of your reiatsu." Hisana offered, watching his fruitless attempts. "At this rate, you won't make it."

"No," Byakuya said immediately. "Different genders should not live in the same room."

"I'll sleep outside," Hisana said, surprised at her suggestion.

"No…" Byakuya said, sighing inwardly. "_I'll _sleep outside."

"But, the people in Rukongai will definitely be after you," Hisana argued. "And since you're a shinigami, it would be rude to make you sleep outside."

"How about this? We'll take turns sleeping outside," Byakuya suggested. Hisana bit her lip, then nodded.

"I'll collect some food. Can you please wait here?" she asked.

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It had been a while since she had gone. Byakuya wanted to go outside but he didn't want to be bashed up. As a member of the Kuchiki clan, the residents of Rukongai would target him if they knew all his reiatsu had been used up and it would take a while for it to recover. He didn't want to stay there but he knew he had no choice and Hisana seemed nice enough, though he learnt not to trust strangers.

"Byakuya-kun, I'm back." She walked inside, carrying some fruit and an outfit. "This is for you – I'm sorry that it's so bad, I didn't have enough money to buy a better one. I'll wait outside."

Hisana walked back outside, hoping he hadn't noticed the redness of her cheeks. Every time she looked at him, she blushed. She really didn't want to notice it but he was just _so _handsome. She heard movement behind her and turned around. Byakuya was already dressed. He was wearing a shirt and pants, his hair tied up in a ponytail. He didn't seem pleased with this combination of clothes but Hisana caught herself thinking that he really blended in.

"Don't you want to eat anything?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. That's right, breakfast." Hisana mumbled awkwardly, walking back in. They shared the food, although she was sure that he was deliberately eating little so she could have more. She was sure that he was very hungry. "Do you want anymore?"

"I'm fine," Byakuya said and reached into his pocket. "This is for the food and clothes." He handed her some money – much more money than she'd spent.

"No, it's alright. I didn't use any money – well, except for the clothes." Hisana said quickly. "You keep it."

Byakuya picked up his sword and sheathed it. Hisana stared after him, the money still in her hands.

_He's such a gentleman, although his tone says otherwise_, she thought, _shinigami must be incredibly rich to have so much money to give away_.

"Thank you." She said.

"You've finally accepted it?" Byakuya asked.

"Well, I can tell that you aren't going to take it back." Hisana said reasonably, putting the money in her pocket.

"So you said, you don't need money for food?"

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Hisana showed him the fruit trees, the lake and showed him how to get food. She explained how money was only needed for things like rice, water and bread but the meat at the market was always off, so she never ate any. Byakuya proved very good in food collecting and caught many fishes. He was taller than Hisana was – by far – and was able to reach all the fresh fruits at the top of the trees. He even had the money to buy the things they couldn't gather.

_Byakuya can do everything so easily, whereas I've tried for years and still can't do it as well as he can_, Hisana thought.

Now in her spare time she could focus on looking for her sister but no matter how hard she looked, she still couldn't find her. Hisana had gotten clues from various shopkeepers – seeing as her sister had stolen from them countless times – but since they resembled one another so much, she ended up being chased away. That's where Byakuya came in.

He had recovered some of his reiatsu already and although he avoided fighting as much as possible, those shopkeepers hated his arrogant tone – even Hisana got annoyed sometimes – and began fighting him. He either always barely won or used shunpo to take them both away.

"The shopkeepers are really persistent," Byakuya noted, taking Hisana's hand and using shunpo to get away.

"That's only the thirteenth time they've done that," Hisana said quickly. "They'll eventually give up,"

"No, that's the thirtieth time." Byakuya corrected her.

"They'll give up." She insisted.

"Either you have an identical twin or they are bullies," he said, then his eyes widened in shock. He had never said what he'd really thought to anyone and he was surprised to hear himself say that but Hisana didn't seem to notice.

They arrived back at Hisana's home and Byakuya let go of her. Hisana wondered if she should tell him about her lost sister but decided against it. She didn't want him to know that she'd abandoned her sister because it was too hard to live back then.

"Do you have any siblings?" Hisana asked.

"No," Byakuya replied. "Although I want an older brother,"

"Why is that?" Hisana said, shocked.

"So all the responsibilities won't be placed on me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"What do you mean, you can't find him?" Captain Kuchiki demanded. "My grandson has been gone for a fortnight already!"

"My apologies, Captain Kuchiki!" the shinigami said. "We have, though, found a servant who claims to have been the last to see Vice Captain Kuchiki."

"Bring him in," Captain Kuchiki said.

The shinigami disappeared and came in moments later with a rather small skinny servant that worked in his manor. "Well, speak." Captain Kuchiki said.

"Hai, sir. Last fortnight I was told to wait on Byakuya-sama. That night, Byakuya-sama said he wanted to walk in the garden and disappeared, sir." The servant said in a small voice.

"Then why didn't you send someone with him?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"Byakuya-sama said that he wanted to walk alone," the servant answered, shaking.

"You may leave," Captain Kuchiki said and the servant left as quickly as he dared. He looked at the shinigami. "Well?"

" It appears that Vice Captain Kuchiki may have had some accident whilst he was on his walk, captain." The shinigami said.

"An accident? In our garden? How is that possible?"

"Maybe we should check Rukongai, captain, in case he has been there." The shinigami suggested.

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Hisana watched Byakuya fishing. It had been almost a whole fortnight since they had met and his reiatsu was rapidly recovering, though not nearly half of what it was. She knew that Gotei 13 wouldn't be happy with him, considering the fact that he'd disappeared. He may have told them where he was going but they wouldn't have expected him to be gone for so long.

She had asked him why he happened to be there in the first place. Byakuya had replied that he was taking a night walk, although he didn't explain why he happened to be walking in Rukongai. It wasn't a mission, Hisana knew, as he wasn't actually doing anything except helping her. He wasn't the type of person to slack off when doing work.

_He'll leave as soon as his reiatsu is all recovered_, Hisana thought. Funnily enough, she was sad about that. In this fortnight, she had really grown used to him there. Byakuya was still insisting that she slept indoors every night, which was fine by her – he took a walk every night.

"I think that's enough fish, Byakuya-kun!" Hisana called and he glared at her, wading back with a bag full of fish. He always was annoyed when she called him that but never corrected her. He was probably used to it. "Let me help you." She offered.

"I'm fine." Byakuya said, walking back. Hisana followed.

Near her home, there was a big commotion – shinigami were there and talking to people. She looked nervously at Byakuya, who seemed interested but not interested enough to actually go walk there.

"I'll go check it out. Can you please put the fish away?" Hisana asked.

Byakuya walked into the house and Hisana hurried towards the shinigami. There were quite a few of them and they were all asking questions. She crept over to the nearest one, to listen to what he was asking.

"Hey you, have you seen a shinigami around here?" the shinigami asked the shopkeeper.

"Yes, you and your friends here," The shopkeeper answered.

"Any other shinigami besides the ones you see right now?"

"Do I get any money for this?" the shopkeeper said rudely.

"If you know where he is, yes." The shinigami said. "He is a very important shinigami."

"What's he look like?" the shopkeeper asked eagerly.

"This," the shinigami produced a picture from his pocket and Hisana's eyes widened. The picture was of a man with a kenseikan on his head and a silk scarf around his neck. Although he looked so different, Hisana knew instantly who it was.

"Yeah, I think I've seen him somewhere…" the shopkeeper said vaguely, trying to buy time. "I think he went past here."

"Where is he now?" the shinigami asked eagerly.

"I don't know but I'm _sure _he went that way." The shopkeeper pointed right of him.

"When did you see him?"

"A fortnight ago…"

The shinigami called his friends. "This man says that he went right! Someone go and report back at Seireitei!" he shouted and turned back to the shopkeeper. "When we find him, we'll give you your reward."

The shinigami disappeared and Hisana was left standing there, gaping at the shinigami. They were looking for Byakuya, she knew it. She had been expecting it but she didn't expect them to be so eager.

"What happened?" Byakuya asked, as she returned to her house. He didn't allow her to light a fire inside the house – it _was _wooden – and was probably wanting to save the fish for later.

"Nothing!" Hisana said, forcing a smile. "The shinigami have gone – I think they were visiting their relatives in Rukongai and had their way barred by shinigami-haters."

"I see,"

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"Awh, there's no sign of him! That shopkeeper must have been lying to us. Who the hell said it was this way in the first place?"

"Don't look at me. I was just listening to that shopkeeper."

"Why would Vice Captain Kuchiki be in Inuzuri in the first place? It is one of the poorest districts of Rukongai."

"Hey, why don't you ask Captain Kuchiki about that? He was the one who sent us here."

"You want me to die? He'll have my head if I asked him."

"All of you shut up. Now, where in Rukongai do you suppose Vice Captain Kuchiki is?"

"Does it look like I know? Why would he be in Rukongai in the first place?"

"That's because he isn't in Seireitei, so he must be here. It's called commonsense, you dumbass!"

"Quit complaining! You know we're going to be in so much trouble if we go back with no clue still. Continue looking!"

"You're not the boss of me! Besides, where do you want us to look now? We've been almost everywhere."

"I don't know about you but I'm so going back to bash up that shopkeeper for lying to us."

"Hey, he did say a fortnight ago. Let it drop."

"Don't you think he's right? I won't take it if someone like him likes to us – and we _believe _him. People in Rukongai are so untrustworthy."

"Tell me about it. Now where do you guys want to go first?"

"Back there to beat the hell out of that shopkeeper. Should we report him to Captain Kuchiki?"

"You think? Either way, I'm going to kick that guy into next week. Who's with me?"

"Just stop talking! We're going back to kill that guy!"

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"Pass me the water," Byakuya said, gathering all the fruit so he could wash it.

"Sorry but can you get it yourself?" Hisana asked.

"You're closer." Hisana picked up the bottle and threw it over. Byakuya caught it and looked at it. There was none left.

"I'll go buy some." Hisana said, standing up. "You don't need to come. I'm sure the shopkeeper would have quit already."

"No, I'm coming." Byakuya said.

Hisana sighed. "Fine," she said.

They walked out together and back towards the water shop. The shopkeeper there really hated Hisana because she _continually comes back to steal his water_. Of course, that was so not true but Hisana didn't correct him. She knew her sister must come back often but they never bumped into each other.

"We'll like a bottle, thanks." Hisana told the shopkeeper, who grunted. He could never forget the time Byakuya so calmly drew Senbonsakura and _accidentally_ cut his hair. Byakuya had then paid the money – he seemed to have an endless supply of money – and walked off as if nothing had happened.

"There you are, you filthy liar!"

Hisana turned and saw the group of shinigami from before. They ignored her and barged up to the shopkeeper, hitting him in the stomach. His friends knocked over all the bottles of water and laughed as the shopkeeper started sweating.

"Excuse me but I was just about to buy one," Hisana said timidly, looking helplessly at the wasted water on the floor.

"Oh, and why should we care about that, you imbecile?" one of the shinigami asked rudely. He turned to face her and was about to draw his zanpukto when he saw him.

"_Vice Captain_?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"_Vice Captain_?"

The shinigami immediately stopped and stared at him. Yes, no matter how different his clothes and hairstyle were, it was _definitely _their vice captain. They all bowed low. Byakuya looked at them in surprise.

"I don't recall knowing you," he said coldly. "What do you want?"

"Our orders were to take you back, Vice Captain, sir." One explained. "Now come back with us _now_."

"I was under the impression that I was the Vice Captain and don't need to take orders from unseated shinigami like yourselves." Byakuya said.

"If you don't come back now, we'll use force." The shinigami shouted.

"Unfortunately, I don't need to deal with people like you." Byakuya turned away and found himself trapped between them, sword on neck.

"Your reflexes have dulled quite a bit, Vice Captain."

The shinigami led him away. Hisana stood in the background, looking determinately away. She didn't know that he was a vice captain – come to think of it, she didn't know anything about his family. Also, she couldn't get the water because the shinigami had knocked all the bottles over. She walked back inside her house and lit a fire. Well, at least she still had the fish, although she didn't seem to have any appetite.

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Captain Kuchiki wasn't happy at all. No, especially when his grandson had been missing for two weeks and was found in Inuzuri, one of the poorest districts of all Rukongai. Even if he had been recovering his reiatsu, he could at least find a better place to shelter.

"Captain Kuchiki, we have brought the Vice Captain." One of the shinigami said.

"Bring him in," the captain ordered, swiftly sitting down behind his desk.

Byakuya walked inside as all the other shinigami were dismissed. He looked up at his grandfather and approached the desk, wondering why he had to be taken back with such force.

"Well Byakuya, what have you been doing these past two weeks?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"I have been recovering my reiatsu," Byakuya answered.

"The same story, I see. How did you lose your reiatsu in the first place then?" Captain Kuchiki continued.

"I was fighting a commoner who threatened to disrupt the peace and he had poisoned me with powder, draining all my reiatsu." Byakuya said.

Captain Kuchiki raised an eyebrow. "I trust you killed him and found the antidote?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Where did you stay at?" There was a silence. Captain Kuchiki raised his other eyebrow. "I won't repeat myself, Byakuya."

"At someone's house," Byakuya answered slowly.

"And who is this _someone_?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"Her name was Hisana,"

"It was a _lady_? You were staying with a _girl_?" Captain Kuchiki shouted. "Byakuya, what _were _you thinking?"

"She was the only one who would take me in," Byakuya explained calmly.

"Sure this girl would, once she found out who you were, of course. What did you two do together?"

"In return for shelter, I helped her do odd jobs."

"_What_? You had to _work _for shelter? What was this girl _thinking_? What were _you _thinking?" Captain Kuchiki demanded. "I introduced you to at least _twenty _noble women and you didn't even _look_ at them. Now, you find a _commoner _and spend a whole _fortnight _in _her _house, doing _chores_?"

"That did happen," Byakuya said.

"Byakuya, I am ashamed of you. Stay in your room and don't come out until I tell you to. This is unforgiveable!"

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Hisana sighed, looking out the window. It had been five days already and Byakuya hadn't come to visit. Did he already forget about her? Or was his captain locking him up for disobeying his orders? Either way, he hadn't come yet. She wished she could forget about him but instead, she kept finding herself thinking about him.

_Enough already Hisana_, she thought. _He's a shinigami and what's more, he's a noble! Just forget about him and find your sister_.

For once her sister wasn't dominating her mind. All Hisana could think about was Byakuya and she was furious with herself. He was a _noble _– maybe lesser nobility, from the way his subordinates treated him. Nonetheless, he was still noble.

"Please come back, Byakuya-kun." Hisana whispered.

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The doors opened and Captain Kuchiki entered, dismissing the servants behind him. Byakuya looked up. For five days, he had been locked up in his own room like a naughty child and had to suffer his grandfather's scolding every hour or so. Luckily, his room had lots of things to do, so he was never bored.

"Well, have you learned your lesson now?" the captain asked.

"What lesson was that supposed to be?" Byakuya asked in turn, turning back to his calligraphy.

"To never go mixing with commoners, especially if they are female." Captain Kuchiki explained.

"I see…" Byakuya answered vaguely.

"No you don't see! You really think that girl likes you? She'll be after your money, I'm sure of it!" Captain Kuchiki spat. "Vermin!"

I never thought that," Byakuya said. "I don't think she likes me."

"Then what are you thinking?"

"I think of her as a friend and am sure she feels the same,"

"No, she thinks of you as a wealthy noble who is destined to be the next head of a clan, which happens to be one of the Four Great Noble Families." Captain Kuchiki shouted.

"Read the words," Byakuya said and walked out, closing the door behind him. Captain Kuchiki looked down and read the words. '_I'm going out to see her_.'

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Night had fallen by the time Byakuya reached Inuzuri. His reiatsu had not completely recovered, so it had taken him a while. He walked through the small forest of cherry blossom trees and approached the house he knew too well, wondering whether she was up or not. For some strange reason, she happened to be looking out the window at that exact moment and spotted him.

"Byakuya-kun, I haven't seen you for five days!" Hisana said, running out.

"Good evening Hisana, I hope you are well," Byakuya greeted.

"Are you alright? What happened after you left?" Hisana asked.

"I had some family matters. My grandfather doesn't want you in my life." Byakuya explained.

"What? Even if you are noble, you can still have friends in Rukongai!"

"As the next clan leader, I am supposed to start taking interest in other noble women and stay away from Rukongai."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it!" Hisana said. "How come nobles aren't allowed to have friends?"

"My grandfather prefers having my having noble friends." Byakuya said.

"Who is this high and mighty grandfather of yours?" Hisana demanded.

"Kuchiki Genrei, captain of the sixth division."

That made Hisana stop and stare. _Kuchiki Genrei, captain of the sixth division_. A captain, his grandfather was a _captain_. But that wasn't what made her really surprised.

"You're part of the Kuchiki clan?" she gasped. "The _Kuchiki _clan? _You're _Kuchiki Genrei's grandson?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya, vice captain of the sixth division and next leader of the Kuchiki clan. Grandson of the current sixth captain, Kuchiki Genrei." Byakuya said. "Pleased to meet you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"_Kuchiki Byakuya, vice captain of the sixth division and next leader of the Kuchiki clan. Grandson of the current sixth captain, Kuchiki Genrei." Byakuya said. "Pleased to meet you."_

Hisana felt so stupid. She knew his name was Byakuya and yet didn't realise that he was the Kuchiki Byakuya. She should have noticed that they'd had the same name. She should have asked him about his family. She should have realised.

After revealing all this, Byakuya bid her goodnight and left. She didn't stop him – she couldn't stop him. Hisana was still in a daze and only the next morning, she realised that she probably would never see him ever again. Although he was very firm about it, Byakuya did seem reluctant to let her go but that still didn't stop him from doing it. He'd announced that he would shortly have to choose a bride and be married. This made Hisana feel sad, although she had tried convince herself that she didn't like him. She couldn't run away from the truth though.

_It's hopeless_, she thought, _I do like him. No matter what I say, I really do like him. What am I going to do now_? _I can't tell him the truth. He's of the Kuchiki clan, he can't possibly like a commoner like me_.

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It was so annoying. Captain Kuchiki had organised every noble he could find, for a little chat with Byakuya. It was a little like speed dating. None of the ladies lasted five minutes. He had no interest in them whatsoever and would lazily ring the bell, to be rid of them.

"So honey, how would you like to go to dinner with me?" the lady cooed. Byakuya rung the bell.

"There's only room for one." He said.

Captain Kuchiki walked in. "This can't be happening, Byakuya. You sent all the girls away in less than an hour's time. Are you sure you don't want to see them again?" he asked.

"Grandfather, I think these ladies want to be my wife more than anyone in Rukongai does." Byakuya said coldly, standing up.

"You don't mean to say that not one of them interested you, do you?" Captain Kuchiki demanded.

"Exactly that," Byakuya answered.

"You're thinking of that girl again, aren't you?" Captain Kuchiki shouted.

_Thank you for wasting my time_, Byakuya thought,_ I appreciate it._

"Just tell me one thing, Byakuya. Do you love that girl?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"What's it to you?" Byakuya asked in turn.

"Everything, just tell me."

"Yes," Byakuya said, walking away. "I do."

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She knew he wouldn't come back now. Hisana knew that he'd never come back to visit her ever again. All the same, she kept on looking out the window, as though he would come prancing through the small forest any minute and act as if nothing had happened. Okay, that was one dream that would definitely not come true.

Her neighbours seemed to not realise that a shinigami lived next door, even if Hisana was seen with him every other day. They never even talked with her anyway and probably didn't recognise him as the man in the picture. She felt so lonely, even lonelier than she had ever felt.

_He's already forgotten about you Hisana_, she thought, _instead start looking for your sister instead, she's the one who you need to give your attention to_.

There was a small gust of wind and even though it was too fast for Hisana to see, she knew immediately who it was. Hisana turned around and saw Byakuya sitting down on the floor like nothing had happened, although he was in his shinigami clothes.

"Um… hello, Byakuya-sama." Hisana greeted slowly, remembering that he was _the _Kuchiki Byakuya and that she had treated him like an equal all along.

"You've never called me that before," Byakuya said thoughtfully.

"Well um, it's nice to have a change." Hisana said quickly. "So um, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I've come to visit you, Hisana." Byakuya answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Visit me? Why?"'

"Or would you like me to just leave?" Byakuya asked and stood up. Acting on instinct, Hisana ran up and hugged him tight.

"Don't go." She whispered, and kissed him on the cheek.

Byakuya looked very surprised – for once – but leaned down and kissed her back. Hisana looked even more surprised than he did.

"You… kissed me…" she gasped. "I must be in a dream…" she pinched herself but found that it really hurt.

"Then it is a good dream." Byakuya said and kissed her, this time on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Byakuya-sama, I think I…" Hisana said, blushing. She had gotten over her shock and now felt really embarrassed. "I…"

"What is it?"

"I think I… really like you." Hisana stammered.

"And I think I love you."

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Captain Kuchiki knew what his grandson was up to. For the past week, Byakuya kept on disappearing and guess who he was visiting? He had been seen walking through Rukongai with a very attractive young woman, a commoner. Captain Kuchiki was happy that Byakuya had actually found someone he liked but nonetheless, she was a commoner.

"Just playing around with her is alright but you really need to find someone else," he told him one evening.

"What's wrong with Hisana?" Byakuya asked.

"I have nothing against the girl but she isn't noble." Captain Kuchiki said.

"Why can't I choose?"

"Who said you can't?" Captain Kuchiki demanded. "I have a whole list full of eligible bachelorettes and you get to choose one of them."

"And Hisana isn't on that list?"

Captain Kuchiki sighed. "I think it's best you forgot about her," he said.

"Not happening," Byakuya walked out.

_This is not good at all_, Captain Kuchiki thought, _but since Byakuya is so stubborn, maybe I should try convince that girlfriend of his – Hisana_.

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Byakuya had left early that day, saying that his grandfather wanted to talk to him – no prizes for guessing what. Their meetings mostly included harvesting food, taking walks and talking, not something everyone would look forward to. But Hisana enjoyed his company and looked forward to his arrival. She now lit a fire outside and started to make herself dinner.

"Are you Hisana?"

Two figures appeared out of nowhere and approached. They were both shinigami, with high reiatsu. Hisana stood up immediately and looked at them. They didn't seem very friendly.

"We will only say this once more. Are you Hisana?"

"Yes…" Hisana answered.

"Captain Kuchiki desires to talk to you. Please come back with us now."

"Can this wait till – " she began.

"No, now." They interrupted and carried her back, using shunpo.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Byakuya arrived a little earlier than usual to Inuzuri, as his grandfather had a sudden change of heart and let him off to see Hisana. Not that Byakuya believed that of course, seeing as he inherited the stubbornness from him. He'd been happy to leave though, to see her.

He stopped in front of her house, looking around to make sure that nobody was looking. They would certainly beat the hell out of her if they knew she had shinigami visiting her half the time. Satisfied that no one was there, he walked into the house.

"Hisana?" he asked but the lady sitting there was not Hisana. She turned to face him.

"Oh, you're looking for Hisana-san, are you?" she asked. "She moved out last night. This is my home now."

"Do you know where she lives now?" Byakuya asked, smoothly covering his shock and not showing his disbelief.

The lady shrugged. "Somewhere in Inuzuri, I guess. Well, that girl obviously loves those trees there, so you'll be better off waiting under them."

Byakuya nodded his thanks and walked over slowly, telling himself that Hisana must be there but however much he looked, she was nowhere in sight. He looked up at the cherry blossoms, wondering what was going on.

_Where in Inuzuri could Hisana be? _He thought.

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Someone looking distinctively like Hisana walked towards the trees. Byakuya stood up, dusting himself off. It was Hisana, he knew it. She probably wanted to talk to him and knew he would be there. Well, it turned out that he was exactly right.

"I knew you would be here," Hisana said, careful to keep her distance. Byakuya strode forward.

"Why did you move house? Where have you been?" he asked.

"I'm sorry but that's personal information," she said. "Now I came here to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well… you could have a better life dining with some pleasurable ladies from Seireitei," Hisana answered.

"Why are you telling me this?" Byakuya demanded.

"You are a noble – a _Kuchiki_. I am a commoner from Rukongai. We were never meant to be together." Hisana explained.

"I don't believe you." Byakuya said stubbornly.

"It is the truth. We will not see each other again. Goodbye." Hisana walked away, leaving him dumbfounded.

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Everyone saw a sudden change in their vice captain's behaviour. Kuchiki Byakuya seemed more strict and secretive than before. They had recently been enjoying his extremely good mood, when he had turned up the next day with the foulest mood possible.

"Well Byakuya, have you still been visiting that Rukongai acquaintance of yours?" Captain Kuchiki asked. Byakuya didn't say anything. "Well, you've finally realised that commoners like her are best ignored."

Still silence. "Say something, why don't you?" Captain Kuchiki snapped.

"What do you want me to say?" Byakuya asked.

"That you've learnt your lesson and will never date a commoner ever again," Captain Kuchiki said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I see," Byakuya said.

"Well? Aren't you going to say that?" Captain Kuchiki demanded.

"I don't need to,"

"Oh, so you've already agreed!"

"I've merely decided to make sure my future bride won't be noble." Byakuya explained.

"There are a million girls in the world, Byakuya!" Captain Kuchiki said.

"You only fall in love once."

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As the week ended, Captain Kuchiki noticed a change in his grandson's behaviour. Instead of attending to his vice captain duties and spending time with some girls who were _not _commoners, Byakuya instead took to sitting in his room, looking at the garden.

He was more stubborn, proud, quiet and secretive than before, barely talking to anyone and hardly eating his food. Even when the cook served his favourite dish of spicy food, Byakuya still only had a few mouthfuls.

Something was up and Captain Kuchiki couldn't distinguish what it was. Maybe Byakuya was ill – very unlikely, considering the fact that his grandson had hardly ever been ill before and wouldn't skip his work due to sickness.

Okay, part of him did think it was the loss of his very first girlfriend but Byakuya wasn't the type to enter depression mode because he was dumped.

_It was be the aftershock_,Captain Kuchiki thought, _to think that he had just been dumped like that and that he believed in true love._

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She looked up at her new house – a small passage between two large, rundown buildings. It wasn't much but at least it provided shelter and a safe place to live; this part of the district was less dangerous and poor.

Hisana hadn't brought much with her, seeing as she didn't have many belongings in the first place and she didn't need much anyway. She had chosen this spot because this was the last place Byakuya would look and it was much safer.

It was not near the ocean, orchard or cherry blossom trees, nor near any other food source Hisana could think of. She hadn't thought of how to get food, she had just left and moved into this little place. The neighbours either side were kindly folk who were used to burglars and could support themselves. They had offered her to live in their house but she had politely refused.

Her neighbours also had no grudge against shinigami and sometimes the shinigami who came from Inuzuri would visit. Hisana had told them that the shinigami had a grudge against her because she had accidentally tripped one over and begged them to not mention her.

"_Are you sure dear? It would be a good time to apologise and besides, not all shinigami are bad shinigami."_

"_Please, I really don't want any shinigami to know." Hisana pleaded. "I don't think any shinigami are bad at all."_

"_Then you should be able to apologise to them."_

"_I just... can't." Hisana said feebly._

"_I... see. Well, I guess I have no reason to refuse. I will not mention you then."_

"_Do you promise?"_

"_You want me to promise? Well, alright then. I promise not to mention you to any of the shinigami."_

"_Thank you so much," Hisana said, sighing inwardly._

"_Just one thing, Hisana-san - what would I say if someone asks about you?"_

"_I don't mind if you answer truthfully, so long as no personal information is said."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Surer than sure,"_

And that was how it had happened. Now Hisana had a place to live and a guarantee that no shinigami would know much about her, if anything. She trusted her neighbours because she was sure they weren't the type of people to break promises.

_Now Byakuya-sama definitely doesn't have a chance of finding me_, she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Captain Kuchiki sighed as he looked at Byakuya. He still hadn't gotten over the shock and the captain thought that maybe his little... chat with Hisana wasn't the best idea he'd ever gotten in his life. He sighed again as he thought about that meeting.

_(Start Flashback)_

_Captain Kuchiki waited impatiently for the two shinigami he had sent. They were the best he could find in a hurry and he was sure that commoner wouldn't be able to resist. Well, for one thing people found it hard to refuse a request from the Kuchiki clan._

"_Captain Kuchiki, we have brought the girl." _

_Captain Kuchiki turned around to face them. In the middle of the two shinigami kneeled a small girl, with a pretty face and chocolate-brown hair. He nodded at his servants, who walked out immediately. The two shinigami stayed outside as guards._

"_So, you are Hisana, are you not?" he asked._

"_Y-yes, I am." Hisana said nervously._

"_Well, it has come to my attention that my grandson has been spending time with you in Inuzuri." Captain Kuchiki said. "It must stop."_

_Hisana sat up straight, shocked. _Why_?_

_The captain turned away from her. "Yes, it must. You are a commoner from Inuzuri. He is a noble shinigami, a Kuchiki. This pairing is not allowed. It is against the rules." He explained._

"_But that's..." _

_Captain Kuchiki turned back towards her. "Hisana, don't you want Byakuya to succeed in life? If you continue to be with him, it would dishonour the family name. He is destined to be the next head of the Kuchiki clan. It is important for him to marry a noble woman and start attending to his duties." He said firmly. "For him to be with you means forsaking all of this."_

"_He can still – " Hisana blurted out._

"_No he cannot. At least, not with you he can't." He interrupted._

_Hisana slumped down, defeated. "What do you want me to do?"_

"_Here is $100,000. Take this and break up with Byakuya." Captain Kuchiki said, holding out the money. Hisana shook her head._

"_No, I cannot take the money." She backed away._

"_Then will you break up with him?"_

"_Please, give me a day. I will... arrange for our breakup." Hisana stammered._

"_That is all very good but can I trust you to do so?" Captain Kuchiki asked._

_Hisana nodded glumly. "I guess you can."_

_Captain Kuchiki looked down at her. "I see that you do not agree with my words, Hisana." He said._

"_It is not in my power to disagree but it's just... I love him so much," she whispered. "And that's why I will let him go."_

"_You will not mention this to anyone, understand? What was said in this conversation will never leave these doors." _

"_I understand."_

_(End Flashback)_

Captain Kuchiki sighed again. That Hisana girl had done her job well, however unwillingly. The thing was she had done too well. He doubted that Byakuya could ever try his hand in love again, just in case he got dumped again. He had trampled on Byakuya's pride – he was _dumped_.

"Byakuya, sitting here will get you nowhere. Now hurry up and follow me to the division's headquarters." Captain Kuchiki said. Byakuya ignored him, so he tried again, "Byakuya, just come with me already!"

"I do not need to go," Byakuya said.

"Yes you do! You haven't eaten nor slept for days already. You haven't even left this room, let alone visited your division. Now, you have to come."

Byakuya looked briefly at his grandfather, then back at the garden. Sighing wearily, Captain Kuchiki closed the door. His grandson was so stubborn sometimes.

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Hisana put down her basket resignedly. She had hoped to buy some water – after all, you only needed water to survive – but since she didn't have any money, the shopkeeper shooed her away. That and the fact that she had apparently stolen some water the day before. Although she hadn't, she knew better than to disagree. At least it meant that her little sister was also in Inuzuri somewhere.

"Finally you have returned, Hisana." Someone said and Hisana turned around instantly. There, in the back corner of her little... 'house', was a shinigami.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Hisana asked.

"My name is of little importance at times like this." The shinigami said coldly. "I have been sent by Captain Kuchiki to bring you to the Kuchiki Manor."

"Hasn't the captain already done that, shinigami-san?" She said curiously.

"That is none of my concern." He said and hesitated before putting on a lighter tone. "Now tell me, you knew Vice Captain Kuchiki well, didn't you?"

"You could say that," Hisana answered.

"Well, my captain wants to know how to cure him,"

"_Cure him_? Is Byakuya-sama alright?" Hisana asked urgently.

The shinigami smiled grimly. "No, he is not. Vice Captain Kuchiki was just taken to the fourth division. He is not feeling well at all."

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Captain Kuchiki sighed once more – for like, the tenth time. Trying to get Byakuya out of his room had been a headache and when his grandson finally decides to check up on the division, he faints. Now, he was in the fourth division relief centre, wandering in a hopeless fever.

Captain Unohana had explained that Byakuya was so down he was almost depressed and lacked the strength to fight it; being in a bad condition, having not eaten nor slept for days already. Fevers were easy to cure but it was hard for her to cure this particular one.

"Why is that? Didn't you just say that fevers were easy to cure?" Captain Kuchiki demanded.

"Normally yes but this is a different case. As I have explained, Vice Captain Kuchiki is currently in an especially bad condition and furthermore, had just recovered from another horrible fever. He has also been very sad lately and lacks the will to live." Captain Unohana explained.

"What? So basically you're saying that because he has been dumped, he lacks the will to live?"

Captain Unohana nodded. "That is exactly what I am saying, Captain Kuchiki, though is it true that someone dared dump him?"

"Something along those lines," Captain Kuchiki said. "But that's beside the point. Can you heal him then?"

"It will be difficult. He has also been touched by a deadly poison which I have no hope in healing."

"_Poison_? What poison?"

"Well, it appears that he was poisoned recently and, although completely cured before, has reacted from the fever. That is one of the reasons why he is so weak. Captain Kuchiki, can you bring the person who cured this poison before? I think that at the moment, only he could help." Captain Unohana said.

"It's a _she_ and yes, I will bring her but are you sure she could do anything? After all, she just dumped Byakuya." Captain Kuchiki said.

"Well, then you should definitely bring her. If she was the one who cast Vice Captain Kuchiki into this, she could well be the one to bring him back."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Hisana walked into the Kuchiki Manor, wondering why the captain wanted to see her. If what the shinigami said was true, then she was the one responsible for Byakuya's sickness. That meant that he probably wanted to rip her apart.

"Bring her in," came the captain's voice and she was admitted. The servants were dismissed and the door closed slowly behind her as she walked in.

Captain Kuchiki was standing with his back to her, looking up at the window. There was no emotion in his voice and Hisana couldn't tell what he was thinking. There was a silence.

"Well, we meet again, commoner." He said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, what did you want me for, Captain Kuchiki?" Hisana asked quietly.

"You do know very well how much I detest you," Captain Kuchiki said, sitting down at his desk and observing her.

"I guess so," she said slowly, wondering where this was going.

"But now I have a favour to ask you. You do know of my grandson's condition, don't you?" he said.

"Yes, the shinigami before told me." Hisana nodded.

"Well, here's what I want to say. If you heal Byakuya, I shall grant you permission to date him." Captain Kuchiki said firmly, although he looked like he disagreed with his own words.

Hisana shook her head. "You don't need to. I'll try my best, you don't need to offer that."

"Didn't you say that you _really _loved my grandson?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"That was exactly the reason why I _must _let him go, remember?" she bowed her head.

The captain nodded. "If that's the case, then get on with it. Go see Captain Unohana."

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She finally arrived at the fourth division headquarters, panting at the front door. Hisana had gotten lost in the confusing roads of Seireitei, and then some shinigami thought she was a ryoka and started chasing her. After ages of running around frantically, one of the Kuchiki house servants saw her and brought her back to the manor. _Then_ she finallygot a map and then finallyfound her way around.

"Good afternoon, did you want anything?" a tall, pretty girl came out and walked towards her.

"Oh no, I was just looking for Captain Unohana," Hisana explained. "Is the captain in?"

"Yes of course. Why do you want to see her?" the girl asked.

"Captain Kuchiki sent me here because he said that I'm supposed to heal somebody." Hisana said quickly.

"Captain Kuchiki sent you? Then you'd best see my captain. Please follow me." The girl started leading the way and Hisana followed quickly.

"I'm Hisana, by the way."

"Kotetsu Isane, fifth seat of the fourth division."

They walked in silence together, until they reached the end of the corridor. Isane gestured for Hisana to walk in.

"She's right through there, or should be." She explained. "Lately, Captain Unohana has always been in the relief centre a lot." Hisana thanked her and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a lady on the other side said, and Hisana pushed the door.

"Um... good afternoon," she mumbled awkwardly, closing the door behind her. The lady smiled.

"Good afternoon, I am Captain Unohana." She said kindly.

"My name is Hisana," Hisana said.

The captain smiled again. "Oh, so you are Hisana. I am very pleased to meet you. You do know why you are here, right?"

"Yes... I think,"

"Well, the patient is currently in a very bad condition and needs to be treated fast," Captain Unohana said.

"Excuse me, but what can I do? I know nothing about healing," Hisana said quickly.

"Then how did you cure the poison and the fever?" the captain asked.

"Uh... I gave him a special soup and then... kept him warm..." Hisana answered slowly, choosing her words carefully. "And he woke up fine?"

"Well, I ask you to do that again and more besides. After all, it is technically your fault that he is in this state in the first place."

"I know, what do you want me to do?" Hisana asked, sighing.

"I will give you the medicine and the money. You do exactly what you did last time and talk to him at regular intervals. The poison in his body in much more life-threatening than last time, so you must serve the medicine to him three times a day. With luck, he will be awake in two days." Captain Unohana said.

"But why me? Aren't you equally capable of healing him?" Hisana questioned.

Captain Unohana shook her head. "He lost the will to live because of you, so even if I heal him, there is still a chance of him dying."

"How would he know who heals him then?" Hisana demanded.

"That's why you talk to him. Encourage him. Can you do it?"

"I have to."

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_Well I'm back at this place again, _she thought, _sure brings back the memories, doesn't it_?

Captain Kuchiki had organised for Hisana to get her house back again, giving the other woman a different house. He thought that this place was much better than her new house and that Byakuya might feel more comfortable. The thing was, how would he know where he was if he was half dead?

This time was better though. Hisana had all the materials necessary and money to buy water. So overall, it was a little better than last time – no being frantic over how to save him. The only thing was, the risk factor was much bigger and everyone knew that he could die any second.

They were delivering him in a few hours. Captain Kuchiki didn't feel secure at all and was gathering the most trustworthy shinigami he could find to escort the fourth division. Really, there was no point at all.

_I can't believe I did all that stuff and now have to encourage him to live_, Hisana thought, _it might be best if I evaporated as soon as he recovered. _

If he recovers.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

They laid Byakuya down, bowed and left – well, they didn't go willingly but Hisana didn't want a whole horde of shinigami lounging around in her house, especially because it was so small. Then again, the servants from the Kuchiki Manor that came along with him weren't leaving under any condition and she had managed to convince them to stay outside.

"What are you doing, pet?"

Hisana wheeled around and found herself face to face with two dark-haired men. They weren't shinigami, seeing as they weren't carrying their zanpukutos but they didn't seem like normal citizens either.

"Um... can I help you?" she asked, wondering how on earth they got in there in the first place.

"Yeah, hand over that shinigami there behind you and that'll be helping us." One said.

"Um... can I say no?" Hisana stammered.

"Yes, say it all you want after we've gone."

The two moved incredibly fast. Hisana desperately jumped onto Byakuya but then found herself surrounded almost immediately afterwards. They jeered at her.

"Well, that obviously means you want to come along too, doesn't it, pet?" one asked.

"Take her along. It looks like this shinigami is dying and we'll probably need some help to fix him up." The other said. "Now come along with us quietly, pet."

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"What do you mean, they're gone?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"When we arrived at the woman's house, all the servants had been brutally eliminated. The woman and the vice captain were gone, in their place was a ransom letter." The shinigami explained.

"Give that ransom letter here," Captain Kuchiki snapped.

"Hai,"

Captain Kuchiki took the letter from his hands and shook it open. He read through it and scrunched it up, throwing it onto the floor.

_We have taken the noble and the girl. Give us ten million dollars and we guarantee their safe return. If not, they will be eliminated. We will be waiting at the girl's house, at sunset on Sunday._

"What is this? How dare these people!" Captain Kuchiki shouted.

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They'd been kidnapped.

Hisana had seen all the servants being slaughtered before her eyes. She had seen every one of them have their heads ripped off and stomachs cut open. It wasn't a pleasant sight.

The kidnappers had revealed themselves to be residents of Rukongai's 80th district, Ryuichi and Haruki. They were the leaders of a really large group of people who didn't like the way Soul Society was run.

She was trapped in the bedroom. It wasn't the biggest bedroom, so it was rather squishy. Being sick, Byakuya got the futon and Hisana got the floor. She didn't mind though.

They had been supplied with the medicines, so Byakuya could recover. His reiatsu had been sealed by handcuffs but that didn't matter much.

He was recovering; Byakuya was recovering but very slowly. The fever had completely abated and whatever other illness he had, had gone away but nonetheless he was still unconscious.

She hadn't talked, Hisana hadn't said a word to him ever since they were locked up. She had thanked the kidnappers every time they came with the food but she had never directed any speech to him.

_I really do want him to recover_ _but I don't know what to say to him_, Hisana thought.

"Kuchiki wants to see him before he hands over the cash," Haruki's voice floated into the room. Hisana pressed her ear against the door.

"Heck, he'd probably just take off with the boy as soon as he sees him," Ryuichi answered.

"He'll probably kill all of us too, if he ever gets to see us." Harkui said.

"How about we show Kuchiki the girl and get her to tell him that his grandson's completely fine?" Ryuichi asked.

"No kidding, he'll probably get the girl to reveal our location." Haruki argued.

"Hey, do you think she knows where she is?" Ryuichi reasoned.

"I don't care. Let's just get the money and release the two after we're far away."

"Our strength can rival theirs. We've got heaps of people under our command." Ryuichi said.

"We keep the girl then and release the kid. Kuchiki won't make any rash movements and we can get more profit than ten million." Haruki said.

"Deal."

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They had taken Byakuya away, even though he was still unconscious. Hisana had heard their plan through the door and knew they were going to hold her hostage for a while. The sum for her was also ten million. She knew that Captain Kuchiki would never pay it.

_Perhaps he'll still want me because I'm the only one capable of waking up Byakuya-sama_, Hisana thought, _that's why I'd better wake him up quickly before he goes._

"Um... excuse me?" she called through the keyhole.

"What do you want, pet?" Ryuichi shouted.

"Please, do you have a voice recorder anywhere?" Hisana asked.

"A voice – why would you want one of them in the first place?" Ryuichi snapped.

"When you give Byakuya-sama back to Captain Kuchiki, I would like them to hear my voice, to know that I am alright," she said. "That'll make your job easier too, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you obviously want to give me back later so you can receive more money. That's why you took Byakuya-sama out of the room. If they know I am alright, they won't think you killed me and will pay you the money." Hisana explained.

"That's a good point. Haruki, get me a voice recorder here!" Ryuichi yelled.

"Go get it yourself!" Haruki yelled back.

"You're closer!" Ryuichi shouted.

_At least they believed me_, Hisana thought, _I've never been able to lie but for Byakuya-sama, I have to_.

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"You've given us back my grandson but how about the girl?" Captain Kuchiki demanded.

"Oh, she's that important to you? You know, I am surprised that you came out here personally," Ryuichi sneered.

"Shut up! Where is she?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"If you want her, you have to give us another ten million, captain." Haruki explained.

"Why would I give you another ten million?"

"If you don't, who knows what would happen to her," Ryuichi said loudly. "Then again, why would you want her? You've got the boy and we've got the money."

"Then again, little boy is dying, ain't he? Only little girl can bring him back, ain't that the case?" Haruki asked.

"What are you getting at?" Captain Kuchiki said. "How would I know if you'd killed her already?"

"You don't need to worry. We've got her on tape right here," Ryuichi answered. "Haruki, play it!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Haruki, play it!"

Haruki fiddled with the voice recorder and then looked up. "Uh, how do you rewind it again?" he asked.

"How would I know? Listen Kuchiki, you do it." Ryuichi shouted, throwing the voice recorder over. Captain Kuchiki caught it.

"And how would I know that it isn't a bomb?" he asked.

"Do you think we're that stupid? If you die, then who else is going to pay for the girl?" Haruki answered.

Captain Kuchiki wasn't convinced. He turned the voice recorder to the loudest volume possible and told one of his servants to play it.

"Hai, Genrei-sama." The servant said and turned the tape around. He pressed the play button.

'_I am so sorry, Byakuya-sama, for putting you through this. I am so sorry that you are still unconscious, still ill. The time I spent with you is a time I'll never forget. Just seeing you like this breaks my heart. So please, Byakuya-sama, please wake up. There are still millions of things waiting for you to do, many people depending on you to do it. Please, wake up_.'

"What the hell is she saying?" Ryuichi shouted. "Wasn't she supposed to go around telling the whole world that she was alright? Didn't you listen to the tape before you brought it, Haruki?"

"Didn't I just tell you that I didn't know how to rewind it? That thing's modern!" Haruki shouted back.

"Shut up! Are you trying to say that you're so old-fashioned?" Ryuichi demanded.

"Hey, at least they know she's still alive and everything! Wasn't that the whole point behind this voice recorder thing?" Haruki asked.

"Where the hell did you get that thing in the first place?" Ryuichi said.

"Hisana..."

Everyone fell silent and turned at the sound of the new voice. The two kidnappers were extremely shocked and the servants of the Kuchiki Manor couldn't contain their happiness. Captain Kuchiki looked like he wanted to jump up and give everyone a hug, something that he wouldn't be seen dead doing. Byakuya was awake.

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She could hear them shouting, even from so far away. No, they were coming closer, they were coming back. Hisana knew that they probably weren't very happy with her at all. She really hoped that Captain Kuchiki hadn't beaten them up, especially for threatening and trying to get ten million dollars.

"Where is that bitch? When I see her, I gotta throttle her!" Ryuichi shouted.

"Tell me about it!" Haruki yelled.

The footsteps came closer and Hisana braced herself. The door opened and in came two very bloody men. They had been beaten very badly and their supporters were nearly all killed. That showed how big a grudge Captain Kuchiki had. They had barely been able to escape and were now furious.

"Hello pet, having fun in here?" Ryuichi sneered.

"We'll have you pay for tricking us, pet." Haruki said. "As long with the boys behind us,"

Hisana looked up and saw a bunch of heavily injured people behind them, looking murderous. This definitely wasn't going to be a pleasant day.

"Get her boys!"

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"Captain Unohana, what is Byakuya's current condition?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"He is still a little weak but nonetheless, he is recovering. It seems he suffered no harsh treatment from under the kidnappers. Within a day or two, he'll be fully healed." Captain Unohana said.

"Well, that's a relief but are you sure he's really okay?" Captain Kuchiki persisted.

"I am very sure. Vice Captain Kuchiki doesn't even need to stay here. He can resume his normal duties very fine, though he can possibly feel drowsiness." Captain Unohana answered.

"That's good," the captain walked into the room, where Byakuya happened to be pacing around.

"Good afternoon Vice Captain Kuchiki, how are you feeling?" Captain Unohana asked.

"Fine," Byakuya replied.

"Don't you ever listen, Byakuya? I thought I told you to lie down!" Captain Kuchiki said.

"I don't need to," Byakuya said. "What happened?"

"Huh? What do you mean, what happened?" Captain Kuchiki demanded.

"Someone told me that I'd been kidnapped," Byakuya said.

"Yeah well two freaking commoners kidnapped you and wanted ten million dollars. Of course, we beat them into next week and took back the money, and took back you." Captain Kuchiki explained.

"Where's Hisana?" Byakuya asked.

"Let's see, she dumped you, remember? How should I know?"

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"Dump the body here," Ryuichi said.

Hisana was in a terrible condition. After hours of being bashed, she didn't look quite right and was on the verge of fainting. Ryuichi and Haruki weren't very merciful at all, and brought her to a dump, where they were going to cast away her body.

"Even if she does survive, she'll probably be scarred for life," Haruki sneered.

"Damn right but she's probably dead by now."

She watched them all leave, probably planning to return to that house of theirs. Hisana knew the location full well, though why she remembered, she didn't know. Her breathing was heavy and her whole body ached.

Hours passed with her in this state. The blood kept dripping from her wounds slowly, bit by bit. If she didn't die from the injuries now, she would later. She had lost too much blood.

_I'm a complete failure_, she thought, _I haven't found my sister yet._

Suddenly, all thoughts for Byakuya were lost. Her sister! All those years, she only wanted to find her sister and because she met him, she completely forgot about it. Hisana didn't blame him for it but herself, for being so forgetful.

_I'm going to die here now, I'll never find her_, Hisana thought, _if I happen to survive, I promise that I will find you, my sister. I won't ever forget again, trust me_.

Her eyelids dropped and she lay there, breathing slowly. If she did survive, which was very unlikely, she would find her sister. She would.

"Goodbye my sister," Hisana whispered. "Goodbye Byakuya-sama."

_Thank you for all the good times_.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Kuchiki Byakuya paced around his room. He had been absorbing what information he had been given and so far, it seemed kind of unbelievable. Of course, you couldn't exactly believe what his grandfather told him, so he personally visited Captain Unohana. Okay, that sickness he had – if everyone knew, that wouldn't be very good.

"Byakuya-sama!" someone from outside called. The door opened, to reveal a servant of his house.

"What is it?" Byakuya asked.

"I have received news of Hisana-sama," the servant answered. "She has been killed by the commoners, Ryuichi-sama and Haruki-sama."

"Who are they?" Byakuya said.

"They are two popular leaders of a rebel force in Rukongai's 80th district. I also believe that they are your kidnappers." The servant replied.

"You're dismissed." Byakuya turned away.

"Hai, Byakuya-sama."

The door closed behind him. Byakuya sat down on a chair, pondering everything he had heard. Then he grabbed Senbonzakura from the table and opened the door.

"Let's go, Senbonzakura."

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She opened her eyes, feeling warm and sleepy. There was a fire going beside her, lighting up the whole room and bathing her in heat. Hisana sat up and looked around. Oh, she was back home, again. How did she get here?

"Oh, you're awake, Hisana-sama."

Someone entered the room and Hisana turned. It was a maid of the Kuchiki Manor, a small little girl who washed the clothes. What was she doing here?

"My name is Lea, I work in the Kuchiki Manor."

"Oh, were you the one who saved me, Lea-san?" Hisana asked.

Lea smiled. "That was me. How are you feeling right now, Hisana-sama?" she asked. Hisana stretched and stood up.

"I feel completely healed, thanks to you. Did someone tell you to come?" she said.

"No. Everyone thought you were dead. I came to throw out my rubbish and found you still alive, so I brought you here." Lea explained.

"Does anyone know I am here?" Hisana said.

"Yes, all the servants know. I didn't tell Genrei-sama because he was doing his paperwork and Byakuya-sama had gone." Lea answered.

"Oh, he went on one of his evening walks, did he?" Hisana sighed. "He is still the same as always, isn't he?"

"No... this time he didn't go on a walk," Lea admitted.

"Then where did he go?"

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The man in front of him with Haruki, he was sure of it. Byakuya had personally gone and slaughtered all the people there. For some strange reason, he just knew that they were hiding there. Then Haruki had tried to escape and of course, had gotten caught.

"Let me go, Kuchiki." Haruki spat.

"Why should I?" Byakuya said, holding Senbonzakura steadily.

"Because I didn't kill you." Haruki answered.

"But you did kill Hisana," Byakuya pointed out.

"You do know that because of that girl more than half of my friends were killed!" Haruki shouted.

"That is none of my concern." Byakuya said, dismissing it. "You did kidnap us,"

"Shut up! Weren't you going to kill me now?" Haruki demanded.

"Not until you tell me where Ryuichi is," Byakuya replied.

"As if I would, you'll only kill him too." Haruki sneered.

In one swift movement, Haruki was dead. Byakuya wiped Senbonzakura and sheathed it. Well, it seemed as though he wouldn't be able to find Ryuichi.

And in the darkness, one shadow slipped away.

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"Well, I should get going now, Hisana-sama." Lea said.

"Thank you again for everything you've done, Lea-san." Hisana said. They walked outside together and bowed to one another.

"Ah, there you are, pet!"

Immediately, Hisana knew who it was. She turned around instantly and standing there, was Ryuichi. He looked livid and had a small knife in his hand, which looked dangerously sharp.

"Who is that?" Lea asked.

"Run, Lea-san!" Hisana shouted and Lea started running away. Ryuichi threw his knife and it landed directly on her shoulder, but still she ran on.

Now Hisana faced Ryuichi, wondering what to do. He was unarmed but still much stronger than her – maybe not unarmed. He lit a firestick and threw it onto her house. Uh oh.

_This is not good, not good at all_, Hisana thought, backing away from the flames. She needed to stop the flame as quickly as possible.

There was a flash and a breeze of wind. Hisana felt the familiar reiatsu and freaked out even more. Byakuya had come.

He kicked Ryuichi, who fell into the burning house and was obviously burning inside there. Hisana looked away quickly – he was going to be dead in a few minutes.

"I will get you, Kuchiki! I will kill both you and the girl! You just wait! I'll be back!" Ryuichi yelled, the flames attacking him. "Don't you ever forget!"

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"Are you alright, Hisana?" Byakuya asked.

Both Hisana and Lea had been taken to the fourth division. Although Hisana had nothing wrong with her, Byakuya didn't want to take any chances and immediately brought her there.

Hisana managed a small smile. "I am alright. How is Lea-san?" she said.

"She has fully recovered and left." Byakuya said. "Her family has asked for her return,"

"I can understand why," Hisana whispered, recalling how the knife pierced Lea's shoulder. "Captain Unohana really is a miracle-worker, isn't she?"

Byakuya didn't reply. He sat down beside her futon and watched her sit up, still looking shaken from the events of that night – two nights ago.

"It's just... my fault that happened to her. If I hadn't been there, she wouldn't have been injured." Hisana said, her eyes getting moist.

She closed her eyes and felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It was comforting and Hisana clung onto them, unable to contain her tears. Then, she realised what was going on and opened her eyes, shocked. Byakuya was hugging her.

"I..." she stammered.

"It's alright," Byakuya said.

"I am so sorry, Byakuya-sama!" Hisana burst into tears again. "It was my fault, everything was my fault. If not for me, you wouldn't have been kidnapped, you wouldn't have gotten sick, you wouldn't have..."

"It's not your fault," Byakuya said.

"I... I don't know what to do." Hisana spluttered.

She looked up at Byakuya and he back down at her. Then, both driven by the same impulse, they leaned closer and lips touched.

And they kissed.


End file.
